§ 29. Mr. Cockeram
asked the Paymaster General what were the numbers of males, the numbers of females and the total number of persons in work in the month of May in each of the years 1979 to 1986, inclusive.
§ Mr. Lang
Figures are not available for May. The available information is as follows:
Employed Labour Force in Great Britain Seasonally Adjusted: thousand Males Females Total of Males and Females June of each year 1979 14,974 9,801 24,775 1980 14,889 9,820 24,709 1981 14,234 9,521 23,756 1982 13,900 9,439 23,339 1983 13,659 9,398 23,057 1984 13,823 9,702 23,525 1985 13,937 9,919 23,856 March 1986* 13,957 10,073 24,030 * The latest date for which an estimate is available.
The employed labour force is the sum of employees in employment, the self-employed and HM forces.
§ 34. Mr. Ralph Howell
asked the Paymaster General why the self-employed are not at present taken into consideration when the percentage of the working population which is unemployed is compiled.
§ Mr. Lang
Last week we introduced new national and regional rates which express the unemployed as a percentage of the whole working population including the self-employed and the armed forces. Unemployment rates for travel-to-work areas and counties continue to be expressed as a percentage of the unemployed plus employees because information on the self-employed and armed forces needed to calculate the wider based rates is not available frequently enough below regional level.
§ 40. Mr. Andrew MacKay
asked the Paymaster General if he will make a statement on the current level of unemployment.
§ 55. Mr. Roy Hughes
asked the Paymaster General if he will make a statement on the latest unemployment figures.
§ 49. Mr. Ron Davies
asked the Paymaster General what is the average rate of unemployment for all the regions of the United Kingdom outside the south-east.
§ 56. Mr. Haynes
asked the Paymaster General what is the present rate of unemployment; and how this compares with the rate for June 1979.
§ Mr. Lang
I am satisfied that the monthly unemployment count is an accurate record of those claiming benefits, although the figures do not necessarily reflect the number of people seeking work. Preliminary results of the labour force summary conducted in spring 1985 showed some 1,080,000 people included in the monthly count who either had a job or were not seeking work. While 760,000 people without jobs and seeking work were excluded from the claimant total.
I am also satisfied with the accuracy of the allocation of unemployed claimants to local areas. Such as constituencies.
§ 64. Mr. Barron
asked the Paymaster General what is the total number of unemployed in the Rother Valley; how many have been unemployed over 12 months and 24 months respectively; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Leadbitter
asked the Paymaster General if he will provide figures to the latest date on the numbers out of work between the ages of 16 years and 21 years, 21 years and 45 years and 45 years and 65 years in Hartlepool, stating in each category, the numbers unemployed for more than one year, between six months and one year, and below six months; and what is the total number in each category receiving training under Government training schemes and the number between 16 years and 18 years who never had a job or any training.
§ Mr. Lang
The following table gives the available information, which is also in the Library, in respect of172W unemployed claimants on 10 April 1986, the latest date for which an analysis of unemployment by age and duration is available, for the Hartlepool local authority district.
16–19 years 20–44 years 45 years and over Total unemployed 1,426 5,652 2,280 Unemployed over one year 246 2,866 1,392 Unemployed 6 months to one year 404 874 335 Unemployed under 6 months 776 1,912 553
Information about the numbers of people in training is not available in the form requested, because the Manpower Services Commission does not record the age or length of the period of previous unemployment. However, on 30 June 1986, the latest date for which figures are available, in the Hartlepool local authority district there were 1,012 young people in training on YTS, all of whom would normally be under 21 years of age and the vast majority of whom would be 16 to 17 years old. There were also 50 people in training, on various Government adult training schemes. All of these trainees were 18 years old or over.
On 12 June 1986 there were 590 unemployed claimants in the Hartlepool local authority district under 19 years of age who had never had a job since leaving full-time education. It is not known how many of those have received training.
§ Mr. Donald Stewart
asked the Paymaster General what are the latest figures for seasonally adjusted unemployment in (a) Scotland and (b) Great Britain; and what information he has about the latest figures for Sweden, Finland, Austria and Switzerland.
§ Mr. Lang
The following table gives the available information for the countries requested. The figures are based on national definitions, using different methods of compilation, and are therefore not fully comparable.
Latest Month Total (Thousands) Percentage Scotland June 1986 342 13.6 Great Britain June 1986 3,094 11.5 Sweden December 1985 131 2.9 Finland February 1986 180 7.1 Austria May 1986 †143 †4.9 Switzerland* March 1986 25 0.9 * not seasonally adjusted. † estimated.